Liberation theology aims to motivate

They rejoice in black empowerment. They identify with the poor. They challenge the mighty. They speak the truth bluntly.

South Florida pastors who preach black liberation theology say their assertive calls to action are designed not to inflame but to inspire their congregations to work for racial justice.

The preachers are not surprised that the incendiary words of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., Barack Obama's former pastor, have stunned many Americans. They say similarly charged discussions occur every day in black homes, churches and gathering places.

"I don't expect white Americans to understand the black struggle," said the Rev. Eric Jones Jr., pastor of Koinonia Worship Center, in Pembroke Park. "You go to church and you see all this singing and all this energy, but the situation of the poor remains the same. You wonder, why don't we get results? You begin to get radical."

Wright, 66, is the former pastor of 10,000- member Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, who last week reignited controversy that surfaced in March over comments discovered in a 2003 sermon. Some say the comments damaged Obama's chances to win the Democratic nomination for president. Obama also has been criticized for being a member of the church for two decades.

Wright has praised Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who has been accused of being anti-Semitic; said it is possible the U.S. government spread the HIV virus as a genocidal tool against blacks; charged that the U.S. brought on the Sept. 11 attacks with its own "terrorism;" and said it would be hypocritical for blacks to sing God Bless America.

Wright made more inflammatory comments in recent speeches and media appearances, prompting Obama to further distance himself.

Several South Florida pastors say they are less angry and confrontational than Wright, but adhere to the philosophy of finding inspiration for black struggles in Christianity and denouncing a society that, in their eyes, stands in the way of equality.

They studied the works of James Cone, theology professor and major advocate of reconciling Christianity with blacks' experiences in the United States. They developed their own styles of encouraging congregants to take control of their lives and emerge from poverty, prison, drugs, homelessness and other societal ills.

"The church has traditionally been the place where blacks got their information, and it's our responsibility to provide that information," said the Rev. Lance Chaney of St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Boynton Beach. "I open up the congregation's eyes to moral behavior, our boys in prison, graduation rates, AIDS. I gather the information, condense it and speak it purposefully."

This melding of faith and public policy has been a hallmark of black churches and black liberation theology in particular. The theology originated among slaves who were given Christianity as their faith and developed the biblical stories they learned into dreams of freedom, according to Dwight Hopkins, theology professor at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

In the 1960s, many blacks became dissatisfied with what they saw as the slow pace of progress in the civil rights movement, Hopkins said. They wondered about the relevance of Christianity as the secular "black power" movement, exemplified by activist Stokely Carmichael, energized young blacks. In 1969, Cone, currently a professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York, published Black Theology and Black Power, which envisioned Jesus as a liberator who identified with the poor and suffered similar trials as contemporary blacks. The book, and several by Cone that followed, succeeded for many in connecting Christianity with blacks' ongoing struggles in American society.

South Florida pastors who have read the works of Cone, considered the founder of contemporary black liberation theology, said they were deeply inspired.

Chaney, 50, said he encourages congregants to get involved in Boynton Beach's civic life as a way to improve the plight of the inner city poor. Chaney served on the city's Community Redevelopment Agency board until last year and helped lead a fight with the Palm Beach County School Board earlier this year to save Galaxy Elementary School, a mainstay of the black community that the board planned to close.

"This is part of the relevance of Christianity," said Chaney, who is working on a master's degree in divinity from Howard University School of Divinity in Washington, D.C. "We don't live in a vacuum. True biblical preaching is lived more than Sundays."

Jones, who is mayor of West Park, also has led congregants in civic disputes, most recently when Broward County planned to close McTyre Park, a popular community gathering place. An anonymous donation of $50,000 will keep the park open through October.

Jones said he takes a less fiery and emotional approach than Wright.

"I learned in the military that even if you're wounded, you keep a level head," said Jones, 61, a former medical product development manager and Army sergeant. "We speak from the heart with no animosity."

Lois Solomon can be reached at lsolomon@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6536.

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